The Fantastic Vintage Wrist Gadgets That Led the Way for the Smartwatch

Humans have been putting technology on their wrists for a long time — and not just to tell the time. The Apple Watch is just the latest in a long line of wrist-borne devices, so here's a brief history of watches that were smart for their time, too.

An AK-39, a German pilot and navigator's wrist compass, from World War II.

1999: The Wristphone by NTT, unveiled at the Demo99 conference in Indian Wells, California.

2000: The Casio PC-UNITE BZX-20 data viewer that can store and display contacts, calendar, and PIM (Personal Information Management) data, downloaded from a computer using infrared.

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2000: A wrist transmitter introduced by Hyland Hills Water World, Colorado. The wireless tracking system lets parents pinpoint the location of their children to within ten feet — anywhere on the park's 64 acres.